A Lion's Patience
by CrimsonLioness
Summary: Ever since he'd been saved, he's thought about her. He is irrevocably in love with her, and will do what ever he needs to to win her heart. Even if that means he has to wait. He can wait. LoLu. Starts from the Battle of Fairy Tail. Not sure where it'll end yet. It's a lot of fluff. Please read and review
1. The Battle

Author's note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. A few of the chapters contain plots from the anime and are not my complete original creation.

Single quotations are thoughts, double is them actually speaking

As Bixlow and his dolls fell to the ground in final defeat, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for your help Loke" the celestial mage said as she turned towards her Stellar Spirit, who in a very grandiose gesture, proclaimed his love yet again for the busty blonde, by using his Ray of Light to display "I love Lucy."

She groaned, 'Half of the Fiore kingdom can probably see this' she thought to herself. She couldn't help but blush at his overzealous gesture.

"Anytime for you Princess, I am your knight in shining armor. " Loke replied, smiling as he noticed the tint or pink on her cheeks. 'Someday, Princess, someday I'll have you. You won't be able to resist the level of adoration and love I have for you' he thought happily to himself. He was a patient man, he'd been around long enough to learn a thing or two about patience. Especially since the reward was well worth the wait.

He was just about to take his leave, slowly fading into his golden light, when he saw her sway. Quickly coming back through his gate, he managed to catch her just before she hit the ground. His mind racing hectically, as he scanned his owner trying to find the cause of her collapse. 'Calm, cool and collected' he chanted to himself. 'Her heartbeat is strong, steady, her breathing is fine'. He noted the paleness of her usual creamy skin. 'Silly girl' he chuckled to himself. She used too much of her magic trying to fight alongside me. He picked up his master, carrying her bridal style and started towards the guild.

'I'll let them know she's okay and take her back to her place so she can rest.' He thought to himself. He reached the guild without further complications. As angry as he was at Laxus for starting this deranged competition, Lucy came first. Mira saw them first and immediately started fretting. Gajeel and Natsu were still stuck by Freed's script magic.

"She's okay, she just used up too much of her magic against Bixlow" Loke reassured everyone, who was currently crowded around him. "I'm going to take her home to rest so that she is hopefully out of harm's way. " Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Natsu, I expect you to handle Laxus. As infuraiated as I am that he started this preposterous game, I need to attend to Lucy to ensure she makes a quick recovery." He looked directly at the pink haired dragon slayer

"No worries Loke, I'm all fired up" responded the hot headed mage. As if to further prove his point, his left fist was a fireball and slammed it into his right. "As soon as Levy as able to rewrite Freed's spell, I'm going after him. How DARE he do this to Fairy Tail, He'll NEVER BE MASTER" He finished as he once again ran into the invisible barrier, as if his rage would help him break through.

Loke sighed at the dragon slayer mage. At least he knew that Laxus wouldn't get away with this blasphemy. If anyone was to put an end to this, it'd be Natsu. He always seemed to overcome his enemies, not matter how weakened of a state he was. He didn't stay down until he had defeated the enemy. If his nakama was in danger, you'd best believe that Natsu was there to defend. Loke nodded to Mira and the Master, who were standing at the back of the guild. He couldn't imagine Makrov's thoughts right now. His own grandson, threatening the very lives of the guild he was trying to take over, trying to force his grandfather into stepping down as Master. Loke didn't need to stay to know the outcome. Laxus and the Thunder Legion would be defeated. Fairy Tail was strong, and even stronger was the bonds when they were threatening not only the guild, but the town of Magnolia. He left the guild and started towards Strawberry Street, where Lucy currently rented an apartment.

He wasn't sure how he had known where she lived or how to get there, but soon enough he was in front of the door of her building. Thankfully the land lady was walking out as he walked up. She raised an eyebrow at Loke as he carried his Princess up the stairs. She didn't question as she opened her apartment door for him either. He figured she probably didn't care as long as nothing was destroyed. He sincerely thanked her, receiving nothing more than a "Tch" from the little old lady and she disappeared down the stairs mumbling something about she'd better not here any screaming later.

Loke walked slowly through her apartment to her room and placed her gently on her bed as she could. He looked at his master lovingly, memorizing every line on her face. He brushed her hair away from her face and sighed. He knew he should leave, but he didn't want too. He wanted to stay and protect her, to be near her. 'What would you possibly be protecting her from?' He chided himself. He smiled to himself as he thought of an answer. 'She's always complaining about her team constantly breaking in and making themselves at home. I wouldn't want her being woken up by them. She needs her rest. I'll stay to make sure that they don't interrupt her rest.' He knew it was a fallacious excuse, but he couldn't help it. Lucy would still probably be irritated that he stayed with her, but she couldn't be too mad if he was just watching over her. If he played his cards right, this could help him.

He had wandered away from her bed, slowly looking around the room, careful as to touch nothing. Books were scattered here and there, on her coffee table, on her bedside table and on her desk. He walked over to the scattered papers, trying to make sense of the disorder. She had been writing a novel, the book that was on her desk looked to either be an inspiration or a reference. He didn't want to pry, he knew his princess was very private about her writing, so he continued on around the apartment. It didn't look as if she had much food, he made a mental note to pick some up for her. He knew she always was tight thanks to Natsu's tendency to go all out on their missions, often wreaking havoc on the town, forcing them to pay for the damages out of their pay. Sometimes the damages were so bad, they didn't get paid. He looked back briefly to her, he could see her silhouette on the bed.

He took her keys to call Virgo. He wanted her to chance Lucy into something more comfortable, knowing that if he did it himself, Lucy's fury was to be expected. Even though he was immortal, her infamous "Lucy Kick" was not something he wanted to be subjected to again.

Virgo came through her gate in a soft pink light. "You called brother, do I need a punishment?" she asked.

"No, no punishment Virgo. Can you change Princess into something more comfortable to sleep in? She's used too much of her magic today and needs to rest comfortably. Stay with her until I return, I'm just going to run and pick up a few things she might need when she wakes up. Punish her team if they show up, she needs her rest." Loke smiled at the Steller Spirt. Virgo nodded and walked towards their master as Loke left towards the town center.


	2. Tender Thoughts

Author's note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. A few of the chapters contain plots from the anime and are not my complete original creation.

Single quotations are thoughts, double is them actually speaking

Loke returned to the cozy little apartment just less than an hour later. He had picked up ingredients to make a variety of meals, knowing that Lucy would need to eat to recover her strength when she woke up. Virgo returned through the Spirit world when he returned, asking again for a punishment. He put away everything he had bought, glancing at the clock. He still had a few hours before he should start making anything for her to eat.

He walked back into the bedroom, admiring his owner's face. She looked much more peaceful, comfortable, now that she was tucked into her blankets. Her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling evenly with every breath. He wasn't sure how long he had stood there watching, but he forced himself to move, knowing if she woke up and found him staring, she'd be angry. He didn't want to make her angry, just wanted to take care of her. As he was looking around her apartment, he sat on her couch, feeling himself starting to tire. He used more magic than he'd like to admit during their battle with Bixlow. He wanted to nap, but wasn't sure that he should, knowing her team mates would likely show up.

Loke glanced over to his sleeping master. 'What if I laid next to her?' he thought to himself. He knew it would risk Lucy's fury. Since he hadn't returned to the Spirit World to heal, he was in need of sleep himself. If he slept next to her, he'd not only keep her warm, but would be able to protect her from any intruders, knowing that Natsu usually entered through her bedroom window. As he contemplated, he walked back over to her, looking down on her. He sighed. He knew his answer.

He decided to take his chances and carefully climbed over the sleeping mage. He settled himself on top of the covers, no need to fuel her fury more, and laid beside her, resting on arm behind his head, the other on his stomach.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep next to her, he thought about his princess. She wasn't strong like Natsu or Ezra, but she was strong in her own way. The night that she saved him she summoned all of her spirits, managed to gain audience of the Spirit King himself. She wasn't aware of it, but his ability to pass through his gate without being summoned was not only because he was strong, but because her magic was strong as well. He was sure a few others were able to pass through their gates without being called, but none of the other spirits were as intrusive as he was. She was also strong in a sense that she would never use her Spirits as a shield, treating them as a friend and a team member than property. She cared for others and their well-being before her own. Physically, she wasn't strong, but that could be helped with training. She had the strength that you can't get through training. She wasn't aware of her potential, but he was, as well as the Spirit King. It had been centuries since he's seen someone with her kind of power.

He thought more about the night that she had saved him, how that changed his outlook on life, how she had given him what no one else had. He knew now he'd do anything for her, even if it meant give his life. Not just because she was his key holder, but because he actually loved her. With ever fiber in his celestial being, he loved her completely.

As Leo, he was a natural flirt, a ladies man and always knew how to smooth talk women, went on countless date and breaking more hearts than he could count. It wasn't entirely his fault, it was just his personality. For her, he didn't want to be the flirty feline, he wanted to be the loyal lion. The days of his playboy ways were long over, flirting was inevitable, but there was no meaning to it if it wasn't Lucy. He knew he had to bide his time. Lucy didn't take his proclamations of love seriously. He didn't take it personally, he had a reputation. She knew the reasons behind his playboy ways, she was the only one who knew what Karen's death had done to him, how guilty he felt. He just needed to prove himself to her, which that would take time. It'll be worth it though, she not only had his key, but his heart as well.

He sleepily peeked over at her, just watching her sleep. He smiled at how close he was, even though he knew he'd have to face her wrath if she woke up and found him there. As he closed his eyes once more to drift off into sleep, Lucy turned in her sleep towards him. Her arm went over his waist and her head on his shoulder. He froze only for a moment before a blush set into his cheeks. He placed his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. 'She'd be furious' he thought happily as he dozed back off to sleep.


	3. Intruders

Author's Note: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and those are not completely my original thoughts. I've added what I would have like to see happen.

Loke woke to her front door being forced open. He groaned quietly to himself, not wanting to leave his little slice of heaven with Lucy curled up next to him. He glanced at the clock on her nightstand. He'd slept longer than he thought he would. He needed to get up and make her dinner anyhow, she should be waking up soon, and he did not want to be in this position when he did, no matter how happy he was at the moment. He carefully crawled back over his master, tucked the blankets back up around her and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead before he left to address the intruders.

As he walked into her small living room, he found Team Natsu lounging there. Ezra and Gray were on the couch, Happy was circling around asking Natsu if she had any fish, while he was raiding the cupboards. As soon as Loke entered the room they all stopped, looking shocked that he was there. Ezra was the first to speak.

"How's Lucy?" She asked, trying to peer into the room behind him.

"She's still sleeping. I figured you all would stop by to check in on her, that's why I'm here. I didn't want you to wake her." Loke responded with a small smile. They might fight amongst each other and leave a wake of destruction equal to a natural disaster, but there was no doubt that they were nakama and watch out for one another.

Gray got the hint first. "Maybe we should leave so that she can sleep more."

He nodded to Loke with a look on his face that could only mean 'I'm onto you.' Loke just smiled at the ice mange. Gray had been one of his closest friends at the guild when he was acting like a normal human. No surprise when that'd he'd be the first to catch on to his feelings towards the busty blonde, not that he had really been hiding them as of late.

Thankfully, Ezra agreed and dragged Natsu by his scarf out of her apartment, with Happy flying out the door before them saying "He liiiiiiiikkess her." Loke just smiled and shook his head as he closed the door, sincerely hoping none of them saw the redness creeping back into his cheeks. He walked into the kitchen and started to prepare a soup that he always loved whenever he needed to recharge. As he cooked, he hummed quietly to himself, letting his mind wander to his princess in the next room.

He cleaned up as the soup simmered, made a cup of her favorite Chamomile tea, sweetened with honey, and set out her dishes. He filled her bowl to the brim, placed her soup and tea on her tray, along with a small vase that held a small bouquet of lavender. He carried it in to her room and placed it on her night stand.

He sat on the side of her bed gently, making it sink with his weight. "Lucy love, I have some food for you." He said to her quietly, while sweeping a strand of hair away from her face.

She slowly opened one eye, squinting at him. "Loke?" She mumbled sleepily as she began to wake up. As her thoughts became more coherent, she realized she was in her apartment. She looked at him in confusion.

Sensing her confused state, he tried not to laugh at her expressions. "You used too much magic in the fight with Bixlow, fainted right as I was leaving back to the spirit world. I caught you, took you back to the guild to let everyone know you were okay and needed to rest, then brought you here. Your land lady was coming out as I was going in and let me into your apartment." Loke explained, hoping she wouldn't be too angry.

Lucy looked down at herself in thought. She remembered the fight, she remembered his ray of light, blushing slightly at the memory, and she remembered feeling weak but that was as far as she could remember. Then she realized she was not in the same clothes and her head snapped up to glare at Loke.

"Why am I in different clothes than what I remember? LOKE I SWEAR IF YOU..." she started, but Loke cut her off

"I would never disrespect you like that Princess" he said in a hurt tone. "I had Virgo come and change you while I left to go get you some food. I had noticed you didn't have much, probably because Natsu over did it again and had to pay for damages" Loke continued.

Lucy looked at her lion spirit with a shamed look. "I'm sorry Loke I shouldn't have assumed that. Thank you for everything you've done, none of this was really necessary." She looked at the tray on her night stand. "It smells amazing, can we eat?" she asked with a happy tone.

Loke sat the tray on her lap. "Bon appetit" he said with the most French accent he could muster. He watched her take the first few spoonfuls, analyzing her face. He was more anxious than he'd admit, but he wanted her to like it.

Lucy noticed his intense staring, knowing he was waiting to see how she liked it, she took very careful measures to keep her face composed and not show any signs of how much she enjoyed it. She had no idea he could cook! After a few bites, she finally looked up at him. Meeting his light hazel eyes that glittered with anxiety, she said in the most straight face she could "It….. is wonderful." She smiled when he let out a breath that he hadn't been aware he was holding.

Loke laughed when she finally spoke. "I'm glad you like it Princess, it's one of my favorites for when I need to heal. How are you feeling" he asked with genuine concern. He could see that she wasn't as pale as she had been and she obviously felt better enough that she get angry.

"I have felt better, but I know I would have felt a lot worse if it wasn't for everything you've done. Really Loke, none of this was necessary" Lucy chided.

"Princess, I'm here to protect you. That means even when you're not in battle." Loke replied. She had finished her soup and the tea. He carried it out to the kitchen, cleaned it up and returned to her side. "You should sleep more love, you'll feel worse in the morning. Goodnight Princess." Loke stood up to leave.

"Wait, don't leave just yet" Lucy replied shyly. 'What am I doing? This isn't a good idea. He's my Spirit, he needs to go home and rest too, he used up a lot of magic, I can see it in his beautiful light hazel e…. wait, no Lucy. Stop, this is getting out of hand' her brain was clearly not recovered yet.

Loke stood still in shock, eyes on her, waiting. 'She asked me to stay? I didn't expect this.' His thoughts swirling around in his head excitedly.

"I... could you... stay with me? At least until I fall asleep? I know you need to heal too." Lucy stuttered over her words. She looked up, pleading with her almond brown eyes. How could he say no to them?

Loke smiled "Anything for you Princess." Then he added with a grin "You know beautiful, one is starting to think that maybe I'm growing on you and you're starting to fall for me." Loke winked at her. He couldn't help it, he was a flirt.

"On second thought maybe you shouldn't" Lucy grumbled as she moved over making space for him to lie down. His tie, suit jacket and shoes disappeared back into the spirit world. He slide into bed beside her. They laid there for a few moments, side by side silently. Lucy felt the heat radiating off of him and slowly moved closer to him, their arms touching, and her head against his shoulder. Loke made no movement, not wanting to push it. She eventually rolled to her side and touched his hand. He took this as an indicator to put it around her. She cuddled up to him like she had been before the intrusion and sleepily mumbled "Don't you tell anyone about this" and drifted off to sleep. Loke just smiled at the celestial mage as he waited for her breathing to even out. After he was certain that she had been asleep, he carefully moved from her, tucked her covers back up around her and placed a kiss on her cheek before disappearing back into the spirit world.


	4. Rude Awakening

**Authors Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its Characters. Some of the plots are based off the anime and are not completely my original ideas.**

"Natsu, you're such a bull in a china shop"

"What'd you say popsicle magic?"

"I said you're a klutz flame for brain"

"You wanna fight stripper"

"You're only going to get your….. "

"ARE YOU TWO FIGHTING"

"No ma'am"

"You're going to wake Lucy"

"And Loke, he was here too. Does she have any fish?"

Lucy opened one eye and glanced at the clock. 'Ugh, too early to be awake.' She closed it and rolled to the other side. After a few minutes of listening to incessant arguing, she finally pulled herself out of bed. Her head was pounding, probably due to her sinuses being stuffy. She coughed. 'Great' she thought to herself a cold. She stood up and stretched, wincing as her muscles protested against the movement. She walked towards the arguing voices coming from her living room.

"Lucy! How are you feeling?" Ezra asked with concern.

"I think I have a cold, I'm going to spend today just resting, I should be well by tomorrow" she replied to the reequip mage.

"Where's Loke?" Happy asked with a snicker. Ezra smacked him with a pillow that had been on Lucy's couch.

"Loke went back to the Spirit World after he made me dinner last night." Lucy blushed 'They must have come yesterday while he was here, thankfully Natsu didn't decide to break in last night.' She thought to herself.

"She liiiiiiiiiikkkeeessss him" Happy sang out flying around her head.

"No… no... no I don't" Lucy stammered. 'I mean he is handsome, not that I'd ever admit to that, with his messy ginger hair, his cute cat ears, his hazel eyes you could get lost in, that killer smi….no Lucy, bad. This is your spirit you're thinking about. Your team mate! Not how you should be thinking about him' Lucy blushed even deeper at her thoughts. "He's just a friend, he was concerned and as usual, took his duties above and beyond what they really are." Lucy clarified.

"I think it was sweet" Ezra commented, smiling like a happy school girl. Lucy didn't like that look, or trust it. She'd have to watch her, and Mira. They loved to play match maker. "We just wanted to check in to make sure you were doing alright. We'll let you rest now" Ezra collared Natsu and grabbed Happy as she marched out the door.

"Feel better Lucy" Happy called from Ezra's grip.

Lucy smiled and shut the door. She really did have a great team. She walked back to her bed and collapsed onto it. She laid there, contemplating if she wanted to go back to sleep or take a hot bath. Before she had decided, a golden light shimmered behind her and she heard a familiar voice.

"You could go take a hot bath, I'll even wash your back" Loke said flirtatiously

"Don't make me send you back already Loke" Lucy rolled to glare at him.

"Alright, alright, I'll join you for it then" Loke laughed as he got up, catching the pillow that was tossed his way "Joking my love, I'll have an omelet and a cup of tea waiting for you when you get out."

Lucy blushed furiously as she sat up, glaring at Loke. "Fine, but you have to promise you won't come into the bathroom."

"I'd never dream of it Princess" he responded with sincerity.

Lucy got up and gathered what she needed for a bath. She opted for her favorite tank and a comfy pair of shorts that she usually lounged around in when she spend her weekends writing. She walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her, locking just in case. 'Not that it would actually stop him, he can just appear where ever he pleases.' She thought to herself. She ran the bath water, adding her normal vanilla scented bubble bath, some bath salts along with lavender flowers. She washed herself as thoroughly as she could muster, trying to relax her aching muscles. She would have thought about doing a yoga routine, but not with Loke there. She stayed until her water began to cool. She drained the tub, and did a quick cool rinse in the shower before toweling off. She got dressed and brushed through her hair as quickly as possible. Her stomach was beginning to rumble and she couldn't wait to eat. 'Or spend more time with Loke' she sighed as she though that to herself. She just brushed it off as her brain not fully recovered.

Loke was enjoying a cup of coffee when Lucy walked into the kitchen. He pushed a plate across the counter to her. "Eat up beautiful, you need it. I bought some medicine yesterday, I wasn't sure how you'd feel today"

Lucy gave him a grateful smile as she cut a piece off and popped it into her mouth. "The bath seemed to do most of the work" Lucy replied after swallowing her bite "Loke this is amazing, I really should summon you more just to cook for me" She added with a giggle.

"Anything to spend more time with you Princess" Loke replied earnestly 'I'd cook breakfast and dinner if you'd let me Princess. I'd chase away your nightmares and the cold if you'd let me stay' he thought longingly. "What were you planning on doing today love?" Loke asked, hoping he could spend a little more time with her.

"Honestly I didn't have a plan. I was just going to rest since I wasn't feeling good this morning when everyone broke into my apartment. I'm feeling much better now." Lucy said, thinking about what she had planned to do with her day.

"They came again? And woke you up?" Loke asked incredulously. Not that he was really surprised by that fact. They did care for Lucy and it probably didn't help that they had seen him there and he had all but kicked them out.

"Yeah, they left once I had told them I was better but just wanted to rest. Even though I feel better, I don't think I'm up to going to the guild today." Lucy said with a laugh

"I can keep you company if you would like Princess, we don't have to do anything." Loke suggested with hope.

Lucy thought about it for a minute, she heard the hopeful tone of his voice. She couldn't help but tease him a little bit. "Yeah, that'd be nice. You're still one of the newest members to my team. Even though I've known you longer than you've been my spirit, I still don't feel like I know much about you" Lucy said with a frown.

His smile was so bright she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I don't have much I need to do, I just need to get a few things, and since you were kind enough to buy groceries for me, yes I noticed I have everything I needed for essentially the next month that I will somehow pay your back for, I have a little extra jewel that I could spend on myself. There were a few books I had looked at last week, or that cute dress…" Lucy trailed off in contemplation of what she would buy.

"I'm happy with anything we do Princess." Loke replied to her, bringing her attention back.

"Let me run and change first" she replied as she skipped towards her bedroom. She quickly replaced her comfy shorts with her blue mini skirt and her tank top with her white shirt with the blue collar. As she tied her hair up into a side pony tail with her ribbon, she took one last look in the mirror before she grabbed her boots and walked back to the kitchen where Loke waited. As she put her boots on she snuck a side glance at Loke. He went more casual today, a white shirt with his sleeves rolled up and a dark pair of jeans. She was happy that he left his hair longer like he normally wore with his suit. His sun glasses were folded hanging from his shirt, exposing just a little bit of his chest, making Lucy wonder what the rest of it looked like….

She straightened up with a jerk, getting her thoughts off that track. Loke walked to the door and held it open for her. She smiled as she walked through, wondering what today would hold for her.


	5. Matchmakers

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are based off of the anime and are not completely my original creation.

After Team Natsu left Lucy's apartment they headed towards the guild. Natsu and Gray were bickering back and forth as normal, Happy was flying around them wondering aloud if Mira would have any fishfor him. Ezra just smiled and shook her head at the group as their guild came into view.

'I wonder if there is something between Loke and Lucy, he certainly seemed like he was in a hurry to get us out of her apartment last night….. and this morning Lucy seemed to be in a bit of a rush too.' the redheaded mage thought to herself.

No one knew why the change came about. Loke use to constantly run from Lucy, never wanting to be in the same room as her. Then one day, Loke disappeared. The next morning, Lucy and Loke came in and explained that he had actually been a celestial spirit, Leo the Lion, all along but had been in the human world in disguise. There was never an explanation of why he was here, or how he had become Lucy's spirit, but no one had really asked. Ever since then they had been a team. That's when Loke changed his feelings towards the Celestial mage. Everyone knew how Loke felt about Lucy now.. He didn't make it a secret, always proclaiming his love for her in the most flamboyant way possible. Lucy never failed to quickly chastise him and force close his gate in a huff, but she could never quite hide the blush on her face every time.

As they entered the hall, Natsu ran off in an effort to fight with Gildards, only to end up smashed against the ceiling… again. Gray immediately went into hiding as Juvia walked around the guild calling for her "Dear Graysama."

Ezra looked for the one mage that she knew would want all the details that she had thought about concerning Loke and Lucy. She made her way to the bar and Mira sat a glass of water and a piece of her favorite strawberry cake down in front of her.

"Good morning, Ezra, how is Lucy doing this morning?" the white haired take over mage asked.

"She seemed to be in better spirits than yesterday but she sounded like she had a cold. She said she was going to rest and take it easy today." The requip mage replied. "I have a question, does it seem like there is anything between Loke and Lucy to you?" she added with curiosity.

"LOKE? Hmm, I know he's always proclaiming his love for her but I've never seen her take any of it seriously. Why do you ask about this?" Mira said thoughtfully.

Ezra began to tell her the story of their visit to Lucy's apartment the night before as well as this morning and of blushes that she's caught on their faces whenever it is mentioned to either of them. Mira's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Ohhhhh we have to get involved, they would make the cutest couple in all of Fiore." Mira laughed and twirled away from the bar as she refilled Cana's beer, who had just walked up to the bar.

"Who's the cutest couple in all of Fiore?" the card mage asked, gulping down yet another mug of beer.

"Loke and Lucy, and I have just the plan to set it into action" Mira said cheerfully "And I'm going to need both of your guy's help" she added, looking at both Ezra and then to Cana.

"Why would you need my help?" Cana asked

"This won't ever work until Lucy actually admits, even if it's just to herself, her real feelings for him. You used to flirt with Loke all the time back when he was a member of the guild." Mira added with a devilish smile

"Now, here's the plan…"


	6. 20 Questions

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are based on the anime and are not completely my original creations.

The celestial mage and her spirt walked through the town of Magnolia. They had decided that their first stop would be Lucy's favorite book store. As they had walked to town, they had started a game of 20 questions, rapidly asking the other a question about favorite foods, colors, flowers, books and anything else that they could think of. Lucy couldn't help but laugh as she tried to answer the questions as quickly as Loke had asked them to her. Most were easy answers but there were a few that surprised herself as soon as she had said her answer out loud.

The questions died off once they entered the bookstore, giving Lucy time to browse through the shelves of books that were crammed into the little storefront shop. She didn't seem to find of anything of interest today, not that she was really paying attention to anything that was related to the ginger haired spirit that was next to her. She gazed out the window letting her ever increasingly confusing thoughts wander about a certain Stellar Spirit. She suddenly wasn't in the mood for shopping anymore.

Loke looked at her quizzically as she stood staring out the window of the store. "Luce, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just not seeing anything I'm interested in. Should we take a walk through the park? It's such a beautiful day." Lucy said as she flashed a smile to him.

Loke nodded in agreement, wondering to himself what had Lucy so unfocused. She always loved coming to the bookstore. One of the many questions he had asked her on their way here, was what one of her favorite things to do when she wasn't working or writing (he felt that writing was too obvious of an answer). She responded with shopping for either clothes (obviously) or books. That she could easily spend hours in the bookstore. She even warned him they might be there a while and she would most likely walk out with a half of a dozen books. Yet they had only been there for less than 30 minutes. He followed behind her, wishing the little old lady behind the counter a good day.

As they walk towards South Gate Park, Loke resumes their rapid pace of 20 questions to draw Lucy out of whatever trance she seemed to be in. Lucy quickly brought her attention back to him, seeming more cheerful. He became painfully aware at how close they were, her hand brushing his with every swing motion. It took every ounce of self-control to not grab her hand to hold it as they walked. Lucy walked beneath the largest cherry tree, away from the other people in the park. She sat just outside the shade of the tree, leaning her head back to soak up a little of the sun. Loke sat next to her, looked at her for a moment before he laid back in the grass, one hand behind his head. They sat and enjoyed the sunshine for a few moments before Loke broke the silence again.

"Do you mind if I ask a bit more personal questions Princess?" Loke asked with caution. He didn't want to pry too much into her life, but he did want to know more about her. He opened one eye to gauge her reaction.

Lucy kept her eyes closed as she smiles "Sure" she replied.

"I want to know more about your parents. I've heard from other spirits, Aquarius in particular, that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." He grinned. Not quite how she had put it, but he knew Aquarius adored her mother Layla, just as she did Lucy, not that she would ever admit to the latter.

Lucy started talking about her mom. She told him some of her happiest memories of her. "She's the one who gave me Aquarius key, I wanted to be just like her. Kind and caring towards her spirits, not just their master." Then she quietly added "She was the glue to our family. After mom passed, father just wasn't the same." She said with a sad smile. "He pushed me away, didn't want to see me unless I was of some use to him. He just had a plan to raise me as a proper lady and marry me off to some other rich family to make ties and provide an heir to the fortune." An acidic tone colored her voice. "That's why I left. I was lonely. I had only my spirits to keep me company."

Loke was glad she had found Fairy Tail. It was hard for him to imagine small little Lucy, sad and alone in a large empty mansion. It led him to her. As much as he tried to fight it and run away, he couldn't help but be curious about her, to be drawn to her. Tried as he may have, he ended up breaking down and telling her she didn't have long to live. That decision changed everything. She found out who he really was, knew where he was and came just in time to save him. He smiled at the thought. A princess saving a lion.

She looked up to him. "How many owners have you had" she asked out of curiosity.

"Over the centuries, honestly too many to remember. Some only held me briefly, not strong enough to summon me. The good ones stick out in memory, as do some of the bad ones." He shuddered, thinking of Karen. He looked over at Lucy and winked "No worries princess, you're the most beautiful by far."

Lucy punched him playfully "You're just saying that because you can't actually remember all of them."

He looked at her very seriously, making Lucy worry about what he was about to say.

"Who was your first kiss?" Loke asked jokingly as he moved slightly away, ready for the next punch.

"Agh. Loke." She said as she tried to smack him. To his dismay, she answered "Actually, my first kiss was accidental. I ran into him, not watching where I was going, I don't usually count it." She laughed at the memory, then quickly added "Sorry to disappoint, but not everyone is as well versed as you are with relationships." She chuckled at his pained expression.

"I'll have you know Princess that while I may be an expert in smooth talking ladies, and I may have given a kiss or two out, but that's as far as my dating experiences go as well." Loke added with pretend hurt.

Lucy was taken aback. Loke had the playboy reputation, and while she had known the guilt and grief behind it that no one else did, she had expected at least a few of them had been by Loke's bedside. She secretly was happy about this and had no explanation for her joy. It just added more confusion to her thoughts.

Loke took advantage of her silence and launched back into rapid fire of questions, reclaiming the blonde mage's attention and laughter. Before too long, Lucy's stomach started to rumble with hunger. She looked at Loke sheepishly.

"No worries Princess, I know just the place." Loke stood up and offered his hand to help her up. "There's a cute little Italian café just a few blocks from where the book store was. Shall we?" He offered his arm to escort her. To his surprise, Lucy wrapped her arm through his and they set off towards the café, both in thought of the afternoons events.


	7. Impromptu Dinner Date

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are based off the anime and are not my complete original creation.

The little café gave off a cozy warm light. It was off season for tourists so it wasn't very crowded. The hostess greeted them – or should she say she greeted Loke, with a smile and quickly seated them. They opted to sit on the patio. It was a little more intimate setting, candles burning on every table, fairy lights were intricately dangled across the rafters of the patio with an incredible view of the night time sky above them.

Loke held out Lucy's seat for her as she sat to the table. She was taken aback by how gentlemen like he was. This wasn't often a side she got to see of him, usually it was his flirtatious antics or his serious side when she was in danger. For the past few days she's seen this gentle, caring side of Loke that she never expected from him. It made her feel different things towards him, not that she was quite ready to put a name to those feelings. She sighed quietly. Loke looked at her as she did so, raising an eyebrow. She knew she'd have to face them but she wasn't sure what she felt.

Loke pulled her seat out for her, noticing the slightly shocked expression on her face. 'She's surprised. Is it because no one's ever done such a thing for her, or she's shocked because I did it.' He chided himself for always being a flirt and never showing his true side. 'Not that she would have taken me seriously.' He thought sadly to himself. He heard her sigh and looked over. He wondered what his lovely blonde could be thinking about that had such a confused expression on her face. He decided against asking, knowing if she wanted to talk she would have.

"So this is your genuine self, beneath all of the charm, the good looks and impeccable style?" Lucy asked before she got too deep in her own thoughts.

"I was raised a gentleman yes." He chuckled and then continued "When I was banished to earthland, I needed to fit in, so when I joined Fairy Tail, I tried to act as close to the guys in the guild as I could without actually copying them. I did it for so long it became a part of me. Not a part I'm proud of, but none the less, still a part of me."

"So before Fairy Tail you were never a skirt chaser huh?" Lucy laughed at the image of a proper young Loke.

"Oh, I would still flirt, it is just part of my traits as a Leo, but never like I was here." Loke grimaced

"No embarrassing stories from your youth?" Lucy questioned.

I do have a few, more funny now than they were then…

Loke was just about to start his story when the waitress came back to take their order. Neither one had looked at the menu, so both quickly scanned and picked the first thing that popped out to them that sounded good. They both had decided on lasagna.

When the waitress walked away Lucy giggled. "Great minds think alike I guess"

Loke just smiled at her, taking in the way she looked in the dim lighting, the candle light dancing across her face, her golden hair shimmering like it was actually made of gold against a starry back drop. She couldn't have looked more beautiful, but he had a feeling that he'd probably had said that before.

"Anyway, back to the question. Most embarrassing memory from your youth." Lucy said with a look of determination. She wasn't letting him get out of this.

"Ahh, right. Well when we were growing up, I had one of THE biggest crushes on Aquarius." Loke said with a pained face

Lucy interrupted him, laughing uncontrollably. "You… had… a… crush… on… Aquarius? No… way… this… is…. too…funny… already… "

"Lucyyy don't interrupt" Loke scolded her. "Anyway, yes, I had a crush on Aquarius. I use to give her all sorts of notes but never said who I was. Obviously, she figured it out, I think Sagittarius saw me place a note and a wild Star Lilly on her window sill and told her. Anyway, my last note that I had ever given her I had told her to meet me by the silver lake at 8. That I had something important to tell her."

Loke stopped and glared at Lucy, as she continued to giggle furiously at his story. "She came and met me, and I had picked a bouquet of Star Lilly's. I told her that I liked her. She giggled and blushed. I thought that had meant she felt the same in return. Being the prideful beast that I am, I had no courage. So I told her to close her eyes. I leaned in to kiss her and the moment I closed my eyes she pulled out one of her pet fish."

He stopped to look at Lucy, who looked like she was crying. She was crying, but crying from her silent laughter. He shook his head and continued "I ended up kissing the fish. And then she washed me into the lake using her vase. And she laughed at the 'scaredy cat'. Needless to say, that effectively put an end to any interest I had, and I avoided her like the plague in fear she would soak me again." He smiled now at the memory. Then he turned his attention back to the watery eyed blonde who had just pulled herself together from the fit of laughter. "Your turn Princess, tell me your most embarrassing moment as a child."

Lucy started to object and then stopped. She just laughed at his own story it was only fair she shared one of hers. "Naa…. Aalright. When I was little I use to call out my spirits so that I'd have somebody to play with and keep me company. Well this particular day was very lonely, my father had been entertaining businessmen for work and all but one of my spirits were contracted for the day off." Lucy looked at Loke and smiled at the irony.

"I called Aquarius, and she got really mad at me… because I had called her from a fish bowl. " Lucy paused, trying to keep her own laughter contained. "She had told me not to do it before, but I was just so lonely and that was the closest that I could call her from… anyway she was chasing me around the manor, threatening to wash me away when I ran smack into one of the businessmen's sons that my father had been entertaining. He was just about the same age as I. I didn't know there was another kid. Anyway, I ran full on into him, thus ending in my "first kiss." He was really embarrassed by the whole thing, and was trying to excuse himself, but I was too focused on getting away from the angry Aquarius. Little did I realize she had stopped chasing me and had doubled over in laughter over my first kiss." Lucy laughed at the memory.

Loke was chuckling at her innocent memory. He could just imagine little Lucy running through a castle, being chased by Aquarius. A few moments later, their food arrived. Conversation had come to a comfortable silence. After dinner, they sat comfortably, looking into the nighttime sky. The waitress came back, asking if they wanted any dessert. Both politely decline and Loke had taken the check and given it back before Lucy had any time to react to it. Loke pulled her seat out for her and once again offered her his arm for the walk home.

As they walk, she walked a little closer to him, the light breeze gave her a slight chill that her shirt didn't protect her from. He tentatively released her arm to wrap it around her shoulders. He wasn't sure if she'd let him, but he noticed she shivered just the slightest. To his excitement, she didn't pull away and actually snuggled in closer. 'She's not chiding me, she's not pulling away, she's letting me hold her and she's getting closer' His thoughts ran in a circle. He tried to reason it was because she was cold, but he was far too hopeful.

Loke cleared his throat as they approached her door. "Princess, I guess this is where I say goodnight." He bowed ever so slightly. "Thank you for allowing me to stay with you today, I enjoyed myself. Maybe someday soon, we can do this again, or perhaps go on a mission?" Loke asked nervously.

"A mission would be fun, and much needed with being on team Natsu there; no other way I'd pay my rent. I'll keep my eye out for a good one we can go on" Lucy replied excitedly. "I really did have a good time today, I really appreciate everything you've done for me over the past few days." Lucy reached up to place a light kiss on his cheek. "That's for dinner" she added, red slowly creeping up into her face.

Loke was stunned. He slowly started to fade back into his own world, he looked at the celestial mage, his smile so bright it gave the moon a run for its money. "Goodnight Princess, sleep well" He whispered into the air as he completely disappeared.

She fell asleep that night the happiest she had in a long time. She inwardly cursed herself, she knew for certain what all of her feelings were starting to tell her, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to free fall into that yet.


	8. The Announcement

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not my complete original creations.

Lucy walked into the guild the next morning, whistling. She arrived early. She was hoping she'd get a chance to find an easy solo job that she could take with Loke. It wasn't quite time for the jobs to be posted, so she sat at the bar, where Mira had her normal order ready for her.

"Chocolate Chai tea with whipped cream" Mira said with a smile, placing her drink in front of her. "How are you feeling, I haven't seen you in a few days" She started, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. What she really wanted to know was if she spent most of her time with Loke, but she'd try to let Lucy tell her herself, without any prodding.

"I feel back to myself today. Yesterday I woke up feeling like I had a cold, but after a hot shower and breakfast, I felt a lot better." Lucy said, hoping Mira wasn't going to dig too deep. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want talk about it either.

Mirajane, making the most innocent expression she could muster "Ezra said that Loke was there the night before, I think that it's so sweet how much he cares for you" She said sweetly.

Lucy grimaced. She might as well get it out of the way. "Yeah, I guess he stayed after he brought me to the apartment. I don't remember anything after we had defeated Bixlow. He said he was napping too when Ezra and the rest came, and he went out to make sure they didn't wake me, then made me dinner." Lucy left it at that, hoping she wasn't going to push anymore.

Her hopes were in vain. "Ezra said that you seemed to be in a hurry to get them out, was Loke still there in the morning? " Mira asked. She started to get a devilish smile on her face. "Did you two sleep together?" She asked with a suggesting smile.

Lucy sighed. "No, he did not spend the night, he left after I fell asleep. He came back to make me breakfast AFTER Ezra had left. It's not like that between us, he's my spirit and just cares for my…." She was cut off by Mira's laughter.

"If you actually believe that he only cares for you as a master and a friend, my dear, you are sadly mistaken. Anyone can see how deeply in love he is with you. The question is, are the feelings returned?"

Lucy didn't answer. She didn't know what she was supposed to say. She knew how she felt, but she also knew she shouldn't feel that way. He was her spirit, and if anything ever happened between them, she wasn't sure what she would do without him. It was safest to stick with what they know. She took a sip of her tea, contemplating her answer, when Cana walked over.

"Are you getting any answers out of her? I want the details." Cana said loudly. She looked at the celestial mage, then back to Mira, who was holding in her laughter as she poured Cana a beer, despite it being before 9am. "So are ya'll knocking boots or what?" Cana asked, sending Mira into a laughing fit.

"It's not like that" Lucy mumbled "He's my spirit and…" Cana cut her off "Lucy, you're blind if you don't see how crazy he is about you. He's never looked at anyone like a star was just born. Ever notice that he doesn't even flirt with any of us anymore." Cana said. "And before you try to spout some mumbo jumbo nonsense about you being his key holder, I've already had Levy look into it for you. It's not illegal. Not common, but not illegal. It actually makes both you and your spirits stronger. Not just him, those his will always be the stronger, it affects all of your spirits." She added with a nod.

Lucy looked over to the table where Levy sat and glared at her. The blue haired mage smiled as she walked over to the bar. "Oh Luce, you know you're not mad. We can all see it all over your face whenever he's around."

Lucy groaned. "I'll admit to feeling… confused. By everything. I don't know what I feel." Mira had just finished posting the jobs, so Lucy walked over and looked at them, before the rush came in. She delicately picked a flyer off the board and handed it to Mira. "I need a bit more rent money, so I'm doing this one solo." She tried to ignore the laughter and hushed comments between Cana and Levy about "Sure, alone… with Loke" she sighed and started towards the doors when Ezra came in.

Mira and Cana gave a thumbs up to Ezra behind Lucy's back. Ezra started loudly, standing on the nearest table.

"I need EVERYONE'S attention. Everyone's. Happy, that means you too." After everyone settled down and looked at her she continued "As you all SHOULD know, my birthday is approaching. I have decided that I do not get to show off my dancing skills as often as I'd like. SO. In two weeks' time, Fairy Tail is throwing a BIRTHDAY BASH BALL in honor of my birthday. You all are expected to be there. I will hunt you down if you do not attend." She glared at each and every one of the guild members. "That it is all."

Lucy groaned. She knew exactly what this meant. She couldn't get out of the guild fast enough, she didn't want anyone to ask her as a date, nor did she want to be interrogated more by Mira and Cana about who she would be brining. She hurried home to change and to call Loke so that they could go on their mission. It was as harmless as it was cute. A little girl's birthday party. All she had to do was bring her spirits out to entertain.


	9. The Mission

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not completely my original creation.

Loke knew what had happened at the guild. He knew she was struggling with her thoughts. Since she was not only a strong Celestial mage, but had a close relationship with him, he could "feel" her thoughts. Not necessarily read her mind, though she was an open book, he could feel her emotions in a sense. He also had been present at the guild earlier that morning. It wasn't his fault really, he had "felt" that she was troubled and had passed through his gate to see what was bothering her when he caught sight of Mira, Cana and Levy talking to her. He moved to a corner out of eye sight, hoping to not be notice. He was surprised she didn't feel him come through his gate.

Once she had chosen a job and he had heard it was a solo mission, he decided he would return to the spirit world, only to be interrupted by Ezra. She said she needed everyone's attention, so he wasn't going to risk being on her bad side. She had looked directly at Loke when she said that she had expected EVERYONE to be there. Then, she threw a casual glance at Lucy, who didn't catch it, and looked back directly to him. He nodded, and as he returned to the spirit world, he didn't miss the smirk on Ezra's face.

Lucy walked up to a cute little house that was nestled just on the outskirts of Magnolia. She hadn't yet called Loke, she needed a little more time to process the conversation that she had had with Mira, Cana and Levy this morning. She was also contemplating on Ezra's Birthday Ball. She knew better than to decline going to it. If she went, she would need a date. Knowing Mira, she'd try to play match maker, who would try every combination possible. So she needed to decide herself before going back to the guild. She had a certain ginger haired lion on her mind. As she approached the door, she shook her head as if it would clear her thoughts.

"Loke" She said softly, smiling as he appeared through his golden light.

"I was wondering if you were going to stand me up Princess." Loke said jokingly.

Lucy just smiled at the stellar spirit as she knocked on the door. "Wouldn't dream of it" she muttered.

A young women opened the door. She couldn't have been much older than Lucy herself.

"Oh you must be from Fairy Tail" she opened the door farther and beckoned them to come inside. "My name is Sairah, I'm Tanya's mother. She's going to be so excited that you actually came, I told her it wasn't guaranteed, but here you are. She's just your biggest fan" She said excitedly.

Lucy quickly introduced Loke and herself. Just then, a little blonde girl came running in from the back yard.

"Momma, Momma, Cindy wanted to know if…" she trailed off as she stopped dead in her tracks. Her pretty green eyes went wide when she saw the two mages standing in her living room. Lucy and Loke waved to her.

"You're…. you're Lucy… from Fairy Tail. You… came. You came for my birthday?" She began to talk more excitedly when they nodded. "I can't believe you're here! I love you so much! I can't wait to join Fairy Tail when I get bigger!" she ran over to hug Lucy. She turned to face Loke. "You're Leo the Lion, a Celestial Spirit yes?" She asked him in awe.

Loke smiled and nodded again "My friends call me Loke." He said as he bowed slightly, causing Tanya to giggle.

"Please come meet my friends, we'd like to see your magic" She pleaded with them.

"Show us the way" Lucy said happily.

Tanya lead them to her backyard, where there were kids running around, pretending to be everything under the sun, from Kings to dragons. As Lucy and Loke walked in, all of them stopped in awe.

They gathered around the duo, Lucy showed them her keys, explaining the difference in the colors and told them who belonged to each key. Then Loke showed them a little of his ring magic. He showed off just a little, knowing most of his magic was for attacks and far too dangerous to do. Then Lucy summoned Cancer.

"Long time no see shrimp, a new style needed?" he asked as he came through his golden light tinted with red. The kids gasped when he materialized in front of them.

"Not for me, for the birthday princess." Lucy pointed to Tanya.

Cancer quickly got to work, giving her a style similar to Lucy's. Tanya squealed with delight when she saw she looked like Lucy.

Lucy tapped her finger against her lip. "Hmmm, now, how better to look like a real princess than to have a beautiful dress." Lucy smiled and called out Virgo.

"Punishment time Princess?" Virgo asked

"No, but our little princess." She motioned to Tanya "Is in need of a dress suited for a princess. Can you help?"

Virgo disappeared and came back with a very pretty and very sparkly pink dress. She changed Tanya in her normal whip like fashion and soon enough Tanya was twirling around in her new dress, giggling.

"Oh this is BEAUTIFUL I love it so much, thank you Virgo!" she said joyfully.

"Now you look like a real Princess" Loke said to the little girl, nodding to Lucy.

"You know, a princess should have a prince, only if she wants one." Lucy said with a mischievous smile on her face. She knew the little girl would chose Loke, her eyes went dreamy every time she looked at him.

Tanya thought for a moment before turning to Loke. "You'll be my prince." She said it with confidence, he had no choice in the matter. She dragged the very surprised and confused Loke off to play. Lucy had Virgo and Cancer continue the little make over session with all of the kids. They were very good on making them look exactly how they wanted.

When the last boy- turned- dragon was finished, Virgo and Cancer slowly faded back into the Spirit world waving to the kids, as they yelled out their thanks and how cool they thought they were. Lucy then called out Lyra to since for them. They all stopped and listened to her, then Tanya had the best idea Lucy had heard.

"We should put on a play and this really pretty lady can sing it for us." Tanya said while dancing around excitedly.

Lucy looked to Lyra, who looked like she was really enjoying being around the kids. "Lyra, would you mind singing a narration for them? They'll follow your lead." Lucy asked the spirit.

Lyra nodded as she giggled. "Is everyone in their places?" She called out.

The kids scrambled to either side of the yard. Lucy and Sairah sat in the "audience." For the next hour, Lyra sang and the kids acted out a play that was a combination of almost every Princess story Lucy could remember. They laughed and danced across the backyard with so much enthusiasm, Lucy forgot that she was actually working. Loke played along with the kids in good spirits, always saving his princess. Just like he did in real life.

'He really is good with kids. It makes me happy to see how much he is enjoying himself with this. He's actually giving it all his effort, even though it's not a fight.' Lucy thought to herself, dmiling fondly at her Lion.

'Maybe… maybe it's not such a bad idea after all. I mean… later on in life, it's not going to be a happy ending though. I'll be old and grey, and he'll still look like this. My life is just a brief flash for him. I'll eventually pass, he'll still be here. Well… it's something to think about. But he deserves to have a choice too if that's the only reason I'm objecting it now. Oh goodness, Mira is going to be ridiculously happy. Her stupid plan worked.' Lucy thought to herself, momentarily wrapped in her own little brain.

When it came to an end, Sairah and Lucy stood up and cheered as the children came out and took the bows. Tanya and Loke were the last ones to walk up and bow. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and handed her 6 roses, then he backed away, clapping and cheering along with everyone else for little Tanya.

Before they left, the kids begged to see a little more magic, so Lucy called out Grandpa Crux, who answered some of their questions, soliciting giggles when the children thought he fell asleep, and even more when he actually did. Then she called out little Plue, and the kids laughed and tried to copy his dance.

As the parents came to pick up their children, who were chattering excitedly about the party, Sairah handed them an envelope. Lucy looked down and immediately handed it back to her, shaking her head.

"I can't accept this, I hardly did any work at all. I had too much fun today." Lucy smiled at the young mom.

Sairah held it back out to her. "This doesn't even begin to cover how much this meant to not only Tanya but to me as well. You took time out of your day to be here. I know you have bills you need to pay. Really I don't mind." Sairah looked at her daughter. "It means the world to me to see her so happy, she's been sad for a long time. Her dad passed away almost a year ago, we had to move out here to be able to afford to live. Losing her dad was hard, and the move didn't help when she lost most of her friends. Today was special to her, and I can't thank you enough. Please take this" She placed the envelope back into her hands.

Lucy couldn't turn it down,. She gave her a hug and gave Tanya a tight hug too. "I look forward to the day you join Fairy Tail." She told the little girl. The mother and daughter waved as the mage duo left.

As they walked towards the train station, Lucy started to wonder how she was going to ask Loke.

"Princess, is there something on your mind?" the Lion asked his owner.

"Well… uhm… kind of… I… sort of have a question for you, but I wasn't really sure how to go about it." Lucy stuttered.

Loke laughed quietly, his heart racing, his mind hoping that she was going to ask him to be her date.

"So… Ezra made an announcement today… her birthday is in two weeks… and she said Fairy Tail is throwing a ball because she doesn't get a chance to show off her dance skills enough…. She said everyone has to go…. I was uhmm… I was wondering if you'd be my escort." She asked nervously. She knew his likely answer was going to be a resounding yes, but the whole concept of her dancing, slowly, being that close with Loke was rather terrifying. Mostly because she had no idea what to expect, and she didn't know how to dance.

Loke's smile was so brilliant she almost forgot her fears. "Absolutely, I'm honored you chose me to be your date." He was trying to keep his excitement reigned in, but from her smile, he knew he'd failed.

As they reached the station, he picked her up in a hug and twirled her around. "Thank you for today Princess, I had fun. Let me know when you want to coordinate our look for the ball." He kissed her swiftly on her cheek. "Until next time Princess" he whispered as he faded back into his golden light.

Her whole ride home she couldn't stop smiling.


	10. Preparation

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the Plots are from the anime and are not my complete original creation

The past two weeks flew by for Lucy. She had taken twice the amount of jobs than she normally did. She did some with the team, but many more just easy, solo jobs. Partly to keep her busy, also to have a reason to see Loke more. Not that she wouldn't have seen him without going on jobs, he often came over for dinner or would spend an afternoon with her when she wasn't doing jobs. The money also helped, with Ezra's Birthday Ball happening tonight, there were a lot of things she wanted so that she could pull of the look she was hoping.

Not only did the jobs and Loke keep her busy, they added 3 new manges and 2 exceeds to the guild. They took down a dark guild a few days after her first solo mission, Wendy came to join them along with her exceed Charle. Happy immediately took interest in and tried to impress her, constantly trying to give her fish. Wendy was also a Dragon Slayer, using Sky Magic, but also had healing capabilities.

Just this past week they had actually been to Edolas, which was another world that had duplicates of everyone, but totally different personalities. They found out as they were returning to their own world that Mystogan, who was part of their guild, was actually from Edolas, and the Lisanna that was from Edolas had actually died several years prior and Earthland's Lisanna finally came home. She's the sister of Mirajane and Elfman, and had also been best friends with Natsu when they were younger. They also figured out that Charle and Happy were not "cats" but exceeds, and Gajeel finally got an exceed of his own as well, Lilly.

Lucy smiled as she thought about the additions. They seem to fill the gaps that no one was really aware of until they had filled them. She sighed. She was excited for tonight. Excited to get dressed up, excited to celebrate with her family, excited to be going with Loke. What she was not looking forward to was the interrogation and jokes at her expense for the rest of time by Mirajane and Cana. 'Somehow.' She thought 'Somehow they are behind this, and this ball is a facade to actually get a few couples together.' She smiled at the thought of Levy and Gajeel dancing together, then laughed at the thought of Juvia chasing 'Graysama' around.

She sat at her vanity, applying her make up. She didn't usually wear much, anything she did wear was usually a natural tone. Tonight she only used a smoky eye shadow with black mascara and eyeliner instead of her normal brown and a red lip instead of her normal natural color or light pink. She looked in the mirror, smiling slightly at the outcome. She summoned Cancer to help her with her hair.

"Shrimp, a new hair cut?" he asked as her appeared through his light.

"Actually, I just need a style... Ezra is throwing a ball for her birthday. I was thinking some sort of updo, but I'm sure you know what would look better than I would." Lucy chattered.

As Cancer worked on his master piece, Lucy chattered about the week's events, about tonight and who everyone was bringing as a date. After what seemed like 1,000 bobby pins, 2 bottles of hair spray and enough rhinestone accents that it could fill a glass, he finally stepped back to let her turn to see the finished product.

Lucy gasped. Her hair was elegantly swept back and up, her hair a crown of curls placed on her head. He had placed rhinestones from the nape of her neck, around the left side of her head and swirled up to the curls where a small tiara had been placed. Even in the harsh light of her vanity, her hair shimmered like gold.

"Cancer this is perfect thank you so much!" Lucy thanked him with excitement.

"Anytime shrimp." He smiled as he vanished back into the spirit world.

Virgo appeared before Lucy had a chance to summon her.

"Princess, Brother told me that there was a ball tonight and to bring you a few options for dresses." She held out the garment bags to Lucy. Lucy took them and hung them variously around her room, opening one by one, stunned by how beautiful the all were. She did an impromptu fashion show with Plue, trying on each dress and walking from her bedroom out to the living room as if she was actually walking the runway. Plue would just answer "Puuun pun" while doing his strange little dance. Lucy giggled as she twirled and walked back to the bedroom. She had narrowed it down to an olive green evening gown and a red ball gown. Virgo had helped make her decision when she so kindly reminded her that Leo's favorite color was red. She sighed as she handed the dresses back to Virgo, who made them vanish back to the spirit world. She helped Lucy lace up the back. It was a strapless red corseted top with a ballroom type skirt. It had a lace over lay, with rhinestones swirling about, matching perfectly with what Cancer had done with her hair, making her wonder if this had been planned. She didn't care though, admiring herself as she twirled in front of her mirror, a blush slightly coloring her cheeks.

Virgo smiled "If there is no punishment Princess, I'll return now."

"No, no punishment Virgo, thank you for your help." Lucy said to the stellar spirit as she nodded and faded into her soft pink and golden light.

She looked at the clock. She had thirty minutes before she was to meet Loke. She sat down daintily on her vanity stool and slipped her silver high heeled shoes on, took one last look in the mirror, grabbed a slim clutch that held her lipstick along with a few jewels, her present that she had picked up Ezra yesterday on her way home from the mission and walked out of her apartment.


	11. The Arrival

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the Anime and are not completely my original creation. I also do not own any of the lyrics that are in this chapter.

Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud

Jason Mraz – I Won't Give Up

Christina Perri – A Thousand Years

Loke waited outside of her apartment for her. He was surprising her with a horse drawn carriage. She surprised him with her beauty.

She stepped quickly out of her apartment, not looking up and swiftly turned to lock the door. Loke was frozen in place when she turned back around to face him, surprise coloring her face a slight shade of pink. She was absolutely stunning, her hair shimmering like gold strands that curled into a tiara on her head, covered in the stars of the Milky Way. Her eyes shined bright, looking like warm chocolate, her smile just as dazzling as ever. He tried very hard not to think about how perfect her lips looked, red as the rose he held in his hand for her. The dress adulating her curvy figure, pushing up her ample breasts just enough to tease, showing off her toned shoulders and slim neck. The dress itself was a showstopper, a deep red lace strapless ball gown with shining diamond like studs that swirled across her body and around the skirt that accented her hair perfectly. He was awestruck by her. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago that he thought she could be any more beautiful? He was wrong. Very wrong.

He attempted to pull himself together "You… you look stunning Lucy." He said softly, handing her the rose he held while offering her his arm.

Lucy smiled as she took the rose, still blushing from the reaction of him seeing her. She took his arm and he helped her to the carriage. "You didn't have to do this Loke, the guild isn't that far." She giggled as she climbed in.

Loke climbed in beside her, motioning to the driver to go ahead and shut the door. "Of course I did, a Princess must arrive extravagantly to a ball." He laughed as she rolled her eyes at him, quickly replaced by a smile.

As the pulled up alongside the guild, several people had stopped and stared. Loke stepped out and held his hand to help her down. He closed the door and as she fixed her dress, he tipped the driver and waved him off. He once again offered his arm to her as they walked through the guild doors paying no mind to the on lookers who whispered to each other about the handsome couple they had just saw.

Mira had watched through the window as Lucy and Loke arrived. She squealed with glee at the lengths Loke was going to for Lucy and she was even happier to see that Lucy was accepting all of it. She twirled and clapped her hands as she rushed to the door to greet them.

Neither Lucy nor Loke were ready for what waited inside for them. The guild hall had been completely redecorated. Thanks to Freed's magic, the inside of the guild had been turned into a ballroom straight out of a fairy tale. Literally, it was spot on from Beauty and the Beast. It made total sense being as that was Ezra's favorite fairy tale besides Mulan. Lucy couldn't believe it. Not only was it spot on from the movie but it was everything she had pictured as a little girl when her mother would read her the story.

Loke released her arm after they had walked through, letting Lucy twirl and admire the guild. She smiled as she stepped lightly back to his side, quickly taking his hand in hers. "Let's go see everyone." She said excitedly. He let her lead her way through the guild, dazed and not focused on much besides the feeling of her hand in his. He smiled and held a little tighter.

Lucy was not prepared for the attack of MIrajane. She squealed "Lucyyyyyyyy" and attacked the poor blonde in a death grip hug. "I've missed you I haven't seen you much the past couple of weeks." She whined. "You've also owe me details of everything that's happened between the two of you." She pulled back to grin devilishly at her. "Don't think I haven't noticed the change, I have, and I want a full recap." She looked at the couple before adding "I think you're the best looking couple here, seriously Luce, your dress is amazing, and Loke you look sharp as ever."

Lucy actually looked at Loke for the first time that night. She thought he looked great in his normal suit and tie, but this was a whole other level. His tux was flat black, with ruby encrusted gold cufflinks. His jacket was unbuttoned, reveling more of the red vest that matched her dress and his tie that had silver threading with tiny diamond that swirled about his tie with a well fitted white shirt underneath.

"You do look more handsome than normal." She said in a flirtatious tone, giving a wink to Mirajane, who had all but passed out from excitement. 'Might as well play along.' She thought to herself before glancing at Loke, who had turned just about the same shade of red that she had sporting earlier.

"I'm going to go grab us a few drinks" Loke said as he tried to gain his composure. Lucy had out right flirted with him. That hadn't happened before. Most of the time it was subtle, or he'd catch her gazes before she'd turn away quickly. Sometimes she accepted his advances, like him putting his arm around her, other times she playfully chide him. This was a first.

After Loke had left, Lucy gushed over Mirajane's dress. It was an evening gown that flattered her figure perfectly. It was a lilac shade of purple with pearl accents around the collar, with a peek-a-boo- hole that showed just a little of her cleavage. They walked around, running into Levy, who had come with Gajeel, wearing a black strapless silky gown that flowed about her. Lisanna had come with Natsu, wearing a light green tulle ball gown. Juvia was wearing a halter style navy blue evening gown that had a slit half way up her thigh. She was looking for Gray, who was her date for the evening. He had manage to slip away from her and as usual, seemed to be hiding from the water mange. Lucy shook her head, wondering if it would ever change.

Loke returned with a glass of champagne, stealing Lucy away from her friends. Lucy had told him all of who she had seen and who came with who as well as her suspicions of the real reasoning behind the ball. Loke smiled at her as she talked, nodding along with what she said. He laughed when she told him the conspiracy theory of the ball. "Princess, I could smell that from a mile away. You know Ezra does love to dance, but she also loves to match make. This provides the perfect opportunity to do both." He said, secretly hoping that Mira's plan would work. He had been hanging around the guild a lot, and he could hear things most others never caught on too. He had heard the girls planning and he was more than willing to go along.


	12. Chemistry

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I also do not own the songs that are referenced in this chapter:

Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz

A Thousand Years by Christina Perri

As they stood talking, he heard the music come on softly. It slowly got louder, easing its way into the atmosphere. Couples started to take to the floor gracefully moving across and around the dance floor. While Lucy was in the middle of her sentence, out of nowhere, Loke grabbed her hand and dragged her to the dance floor. As he reached the edge of it, he spun her in quickly, placing his hand on her lower back and gently holding her other. "I'm sorry Princess, where were you before I so rudely interrupted?" He purred in her ear.

"Uhm… I was saying… Oh, I don't honestly remember. Nothing important at least." She stopped to listen to the song that was playing. She smiled as she recognized Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran. "This is one of my favorites."

'And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways'

Loke lead her effortlessly across the dance floor. He smiled down at her. "You're actually a pretty good dancer, I guess that's not all that surprising considering your upbringing."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him. "Yeah, you're pretty good too"

'Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars'

He chuckled. "We have parties too you know. Since I'm the closest thing to royalty the spirit world has besides the Spirit King, I had to learn all sorts of etiquettes. Ballroom dancing being one of them."

As if to prove his point, he spun her out, then back in to where her back was to him, his arms wrapped around her. "Which I am currently thanking the stars that I learned." He spun her back out and back in and continued gracefully moving her across the floor.

'Maybe we found love right where we are'

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. She'd never thought in a million years that she'd find herself falling for Loke, but here she was, blushing like a school girl. She happily sighed and leaned her head to rest on his shoulder. She felt his head rest against hers.

'And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory'

"I'm really glad you came with me. I can't imagine being here with anyone else." She said timidly. She looked around the guild. There weren't many couples on the floor, just Levy and Gajeel, who were just swaying back and forth, caught up in their own conversation. She smiled at her best friend. They were an odd pairing, but she could deny that they were cute together. Lisanna had finally dragged Natsu out onto the dance floor. He looked extremely uncomfortable, and very uncoordinated. She couldn't help but snicker, attracting Loke's attention. She just nodded towards the pink haired dragon slayer.

'And we found love right where we are'

Loke just smiled at it. He'd bring it up to Natsu at a later date about his horrible dancing skills, he didn't want a fight to break out tonight. At least, not on his doing. The song came to an end, and the music cut. Trumpets blared. Everyone looked towards the front of the guild where master Makrov stood to make an announcement.

"May I present you the lady of the hour, Miss Ezra Scarlet." Makrov shouted.

The guild doors burst open and Ezra walked through the doors. She had strapless silver ballroom gown that glittered, scattering light reflections in every direction. Her red haired was swept up into an elegant bun with a tiara sitting on top of her head. She was stunning, but what had everyone shocked was her escort.

Jellal had been in prison for a laundry list of crimes that he would have to serve time for the rest of his life, where he should be right now, but there he was, with Ezra on his arm. No one was sure how he had managed to end up here, but no one was going to question it. Most everyone knew what had really happened and didn't blame Jellal for what he actually had no control of.

He looked dashing in his black tux, with a black shirt and a silver vest and bow tie that matched Ezra's dress. He smiled nervously at everyone, but when he looked at Ezra it changed to a smile of adoration. Ezra could barely contain her smile as she made her grand entrance. She took a few steps from Jellal, looking around the guild, smiling.

"Thank you all for coming, I'm so happy you all could join me to celebrate me birthday."

"As if any of us had a choice." Gray shouted from the back, getting a laugh out of everyone and catching a glare from Ezra before he ducked his head back down.

"Tonight is a celebration, so without further ado…" She looked towards the DJ and nodded "LETS PARTYYY" eliciting a cheer from the crowd. She should have known this wasn't going to be like any ball she had been to before.

The DJ played a nice mix of music, Lucy laughed as she danced with the girls, every now and again looking towards Loke, trying to get him to join. He laughed and shook his head. He enjoyed watching his Princess dance, laugh and enjoy her time with her friends. There were a few songs that Loke would weave his way over to her and danced with her, expertly moving across the floor and between the other dancers, earning a few envious looks from previous girlfriends and other women who wished that their dates knew how to actually dance.

Lucy could help but laugh as she followed his lead. Even she had never learned how to dance like this. She excused herself, needing a drink since Loke had literally taken her breath away. She leaned on the bar, watching everyone. It seemed like half of Magnolia was here tonight.

"I've requested a song Princess, follow me." Loke seemed to appear out of thin air. Not that it was totally uncommon. Lucy smiled as she sat her empty glass down and grabbed his hand.

'When I look into your eyes  
It's like watching the night sky'

Lucy smiled as she closed her eyes, letting Loke lead her around the dance floor. Yet another one of her favorites.

'I see that you've come so far  
To be right where you are  
How old is your soul?'

She looked up at him, softly gasping at the tender way he looked at her. Slowly, the rest of the guild began to fade into the distance. She was focused on just him. As much as she had tried to fight it. Here she was.

'Cause even the stars they burn  
Some even fall to the earth  
We've got a lot to learn  
God knows we're worth it  
No, I won't give up'

Mira watched the celestial couple from behind the bar. She smiled to herself, knowing her plan had worked. Not a soul in the guild could be blind to this, not even themselves. The connection they had was undeniable. She laughed to herself 'It was written in the stars.' She laughed a little more, thinking she'd have to tell them that one later.

'I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily  
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make'

Loke could barely contain his happiness. Here he was, dancing with his soulmate, and she was smiling so radiantly that he swore it was brighter than Regulus. He had high hopes that his master was starting to feel the same way about him. Since the Battle of Fairy Tail, their relationship had drastically changed. She didn't get angry over his flirtations anymore, she spent more time with him and she wasn't so reserved, not hesitating to reach out for his hand or hug him. He smiled. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd have to wait to claim her, but he knew it wouldn't be long. He could be patient a little longer.

'I won't give up on us  
Even if the skies get rough  
I'm giving you all my love  
I'm still looking up'.

As the song came to an end, he dipped Lucy playfully, eliciting a giggle from her. "That was beautiful dancing my love, we have perfect chemistry." He said flirtatiously.

"I wouldn't say perfect, perfection takes time. While you've had eons, I've had a mere decade, and we, as a couple, have had even less." Lucy shocked herself with her own statement, but let it stand.

Loke froze momentarily at her casual use of "couple." He was thrilled that she had started to see them as such, and not wanting to ruin it, he decided to not make anything big out of it. "Why Princess, I'd be more than happy to take you back to the spirit world and help you catch up." He replied playfully.

Lucy shook her head at her lion. A new song had started and Loke begun waltzing with her across the floor. As a little girl, the waltz had always been one of her favorite dances to learn. She smiled at Loke, letting her surroundings drift away from her focus.

'Heart beats fast  
Colors and promises  
How to be brave?  
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.'

She had never mentioned it to anyone, but this song had always been her all-time favorite, long before it was made popular by the Twilight movies. It recently had been on her playlist more, she'd listen to it on repeat some days. It made her think of Loke.

Time stands still  
Beauty in all she is  
I will be brave  
I will not let anything take away  
What's standing in front of me  
Every breath  
Every hour has come to this

Loke looked to Ezra as he danced with his beauty. He would have to thank her for this one. Not just for having the ball. Ezra had noticed when Lucy had fallen asleep on a trip back from a mission. She had started to mumble. The only coherent thing Ezra heard was his name. She was curious as to what Lucy was listening to, so she had leaned over to look at her music lacrima, and saw that she was listening to this song. She also noticed that she had it on repeat. She told Loke on one of the trips that he had joined them on later the following week. He could see why it made her think of him, and he was glad it did. He would always protect her, and when her time was done, he would find her again and do it all over again.

I have died every day waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you  
For a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

The celestial couple had dominated the dance floor, taking no notice that most couples had slowly moved off the dance floor, watching the two in awe. Levy, Ezra and Cana joined Mira at the bar, all smiles. The night had barely begun and their plan already bore the fruit of their labor. They all watched the pair effortlessly and elegantly sweep across the dance floor, lost in the song, completely unaware of everyone watching them.

And all along I believed I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me  
I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more

Loke leaned his forehead against hers as they swayed to the ending of the music. He really didn't want to let go of her, he just wanted to hold her forever. Their little bubble was shattered when the whole guild erupted into cheers, taking both the Celestial mage and her Spirit off guard. Loke laughed when he realized that they were the only two that were on the dance floor. He playfully spun his Princess out, and she did a slight curtsey, as a blush had settled in her cheeks. He pulled her back in and kissed the top of her forehead as they left to get drinks. He looked over at the bar, where he saw the four girls sitting together, smiling. He looked at Ezra, who just nodded her head in approval.

'How's that for chemistry Princess?' Loke thought to himself as he let the blonde lead him towards the bar.


	13. Perfect Night

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not my complete original creations.

Lucy made her way to the bar where Mira already had a drink waiting for her. As she reached the bar, Lisanna hugged Lucy while Ezra stood in full school-girl-type-awe. Mira and Levy just smiled at her when Juvia commented something about her no longer being love rival that was almost lost in the noise of the crowd.

"Well you all obviously know how my night is, I want to hear about yours." Lucy said in attempt to take the spotlight off of herself. She could feel the blush slowing creeping back to her cheeks.

The girls sat at the bar, talking and giggling about their dates. Lisanna adored Natsu but he was a terrible dancer and they had nearly ran into everyone. He and Gray had already been kicked outside when they had started fighting when Natsu and Lisanna had bumped into Juvia and Gray.

Juvia quickly stated that she was having a lovely date with Gray and was going to leave to find him, in which Lisanna offered to tag along incase Natsu and Gray were still fighting. Lucy looked at Levy, nudging her playfully.

"So Gajeel and you seem to pretty close…" Lucy started. Levy instantly turned a few shades of red.

"Yeah… he's actually really sweet… I… wish I actually knew what he was thinking though….. " She started. "….I really like him but I have no idea how he feels so I'm really scared to admit it….." Levy said the last part so quickly it took a few moments for the girls to understand what she had said fully.

Mira looked at Ezra with a smile bigger than before. Lucy wasn't sure how that was possible. "I CAN'T WAIT TO GET THIS ONE STARTED, GAJEEL IS TOTALLY INTO YOU LEVY." She squealed.

"Mira, not so loud." Levy said with a slight frown, her eyes darting around the dimly lit room, fearing that it might have been overheard. Her fears were not unfounded, Gajeel was well within earshot even if he hadn't been a dragon slayer. He simply looked at Levy, a slight blush tinging his cheeks. He swallowed the rest of his drink before standing and making his way over to Levy.

Levy immediately started apologizing before he had even made it to where they were seated. "Gajeel, I'm sorry, Mira is just crazy obsessed with setting people up and…" He cut her off before she could continue.

"Oi, shrimp. C'mere." He held out his hand towards her. "No reason to be embarrassed, but there's no reason to talk about this here." Levy took his hand, and with one last glance towards the three girls at the bar, they walked off towards the balcony.

"Ooooooooohhhhhhhh, I'm so happy, tonight's turning out perfect." Mira said excitedly, twirling around behind the bar and clapping her hands. Lucy just shook her head, genuinely happy for her friend, but knowing what it's like to be at the other end of Mira's matchmaking.

Ezra nodded in agreement. "It truly is perfect." She gazed towards Jellal, sighing just slightly. She caught the curious glances of the blonde and white haired mages. She sighed again as she started to explain.

"I've visited him a few times since the council arrested him. He's said he had a fiancé before, but I knew he was lying. He's slowly coming around though, but he feels so much guilt. I was surprised when he agreed to escort me tonight. Thankfully, Master has some old friends in the council and was able to spring him for the night." She paused, blushing slightly before continuing.

"I didn't think that any major changes would come tonight, I know he still feels guilty for everything that's happened and that he hasn't atoned for what he did. I was just happy that he agreed to come…. But…. " she stopped, looking at the two girls. "He kissed me. And it was magical."

Mira squealed again as Lucy's jaw dropped to the floor. As if on que, Jellal walked up behind Ezra and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "Do you ladies mind if I steal her back to the dance floor? I don't know when I'll have a chance again." He asked without his eye's ever leaving Ezra. Mira all but pushed them onto the dance floor, where they stated for the remainder of the night.

Lucy finished her drink and eyed Mira. "How are things with Laxus?" she asked with a devilish smile. 'Payback time.'

Mira tried to sidestep the question. "Oh, we're running low on ice, I'll be right back." She turned to leave, but Lucy jumped in front of the door.

"Mira…." Lucy pried.

"He's…. there's nothing… for now." Mira said with a smile that said that it wouldn't be long. "He's kind of like Natsu, a little dense when it comes to these kinds of things." She nodded her head in his general direction across the bar, where he was standing with the Thunder League, Bixlow and his dolls were imitating Freed. "No worries, I'll have him on the dance floor later." With that she turned to go get ice.

Lucy smiled and made her way to the dance floor. She danced with Levy and Lisanna, trying to help the guys get into a rhythm. She danced with Cana, with Juvia, with Mira, with Wendy and made a few more rounds. She danced with Loke to as many songs as she could just so he could hold her. They started to dance together even when it wasn't just a slow song. She looked around the guild often, just taking in the scenes around her. She loved her guild mates, almost every day was memorable, but tonight was on another level.

He'd often just grab her hand and dance with her, teaching her a few new dances that she'd never learned before. It could be more considered of a "professional ballroom dancing." His heat always seemed to stop when her face would light up in excitement of getting a new dance step right. She was a natural to it, picking it up quickly. He could feel the daggers being glared at him by all the ex-girlfriends that were there, jealous over Lucy and how he seemed to float around the dance floor with her. He could care less if the world was ending. Tonight had been the start of something that he thought would only happen in his dreams. He glanced down at Lucy, who was laughing and talking with Lisanna. He casually placed his arm around her waist as he watched Happy and Charla dance next to Wendy and Romeo. He liked that Charla was so protective of the young dragon slayer, but he was very glad to see that her guard was down tonight, and actually allowed Happy to dance with her. There was no doubt in his mind that he was talking about fish.

The music came to an end, the DJ wished Ezra a very happy birthday and thanked everyone for coming out. Cana called for an after party, many of which cheered too. Lucy watched as her friends left. Romeo walked Wendy home, who was holding onto his arm. Natsu walked with Lisanna with Happy flying overhead, recounting the night he had spent with Charla to them. Jellal held Ezra's hand, Juvia held onto Gray's arm and Gajeel had picked up Levy and they all made their way back to Fairy Hills together. Mira and Laxus walked hand in hand, the takeover mage throw a wink over her shoulder at Lucy. Evergreen and Elfman walked with them. Lucy smiled to herself, and she felt warm arms envelope her waist.

"Might I escort you home Princess?" Loke asked, walked to her side offing her his arm.

She grinned at him "I'd be terribly offended if you didn't." She took his arm as they headed towards the direction of Strawberry Street.


	14. Escort

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and not my complete original creations.

Lucy couldn't get over how perfect the night had been. They walked in a comfortable silence, allowing her thoughts to wander. She looked up at the stars out of habit. The moon, not quite full, hung low in the sky. She quickly gazed over her spirits constellations, smiling at their familiarity as they shimmered in the clear night sky.

Loke looked at his master, watching her as she scanned the nighttime sky. It never ceased to knock the breath out of him every time he looked at her. She was absolutely gorgeous, and against the midnight sky, she was enchanting. "Princess, I don't remember if I have said as much tonight, but you look stunning tonight." Loke's voice dropped softly as he continued. "I often have thought, there's no way she could be any more beautiful and every time, you prove me wrong." He peeked over at her, hoping he wasn't pushing too much.

Lucy was speechless, blushing at his compliment. She looked at him and smiled timidly, squeezing his arm a little more. Loke could see the goose bumps appearing on her shoulder from a light breeze. He quickly took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders, slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her closer into him so that she could feel his body heat. If he was being honest, it was just an excuse to have her closer to him. She smiled appreciatively up at her lion.

"Thank you, honestly, thank you for everything. Tonight was perfect, so much more than I could imagine it would be." She stopped and looked at him, with a flirtatious grin on her face she continued "I don't think I told you at all tonight but you look as handsome as ever. I could feel all of the daggers that were being glared at me tonight. I'm surprised I didn't have to fight any of your girlfriends off."

Loke sighed. "Princess, I've told you I no longer have any girlfriends. I haven't since I went back to the spirit world. Why would I? There's nothing that any other girls can offer me." He didn't look over at her.

"No other girlfriends? So that time in Edolas right before we got Lisanna back, you know when we were in the middle of a fight and I called on you and you sent Virgo in your place? What was the reason again….. hmmm… I can't quite recall… Oh yeah, wasn't it a date?" Lucy glared at him, the thought making her seethe again.

She'd never told him how much she was hurt by him not coming, to know that his date was more important than her. Everything turned out okay in the end, but she was hurt. It was then, if she was being completely honest with herself, that she realized how she had felt. And it was then when she started fighting so hard against them. She stopped calling him as often, only when absolutely necessary, sent him back immediately when he came through on his own, and brushed off any sort of attention he gave her. Then one day, Loke came through his gate and absolutely refused to leave until she talked to him. Even then, she didn't actually tell him all she was thinking, in an effort to keep her feelings masked and at bay, but he continuously did things to make up for it. He chipped at her guard little by little.

Loke grimaced at the reminder of his horrible decision. He stopped walking and pulled her to face him, crushing her in a tight hug. "Lucy, I still to this day cannot apologize enough for that mistake. The date didn't go well anyway, I was more worried about you. I had heard the spirits talking about the fights that they had been in and what was going on. I didn't leave the date because Aquarius had been the one to set it up with one of her friends. She said she was, and I quote, 'tired of seeing me mulling around, pining over someone who might not even reciprocate my feelings.' I was not about to ditch a friend of hers, I value my life. I felt awful when Virgo told me what had happened. When you stopped calling me, it was terrible. Not seeing you made me miserable. It got to the point the other spirits never would talk about when they were called because I would be so distraught. You never gave me the chance to apologize." Loke looked at her quickly. He hadn't told her that part, he was never sure of how she felt. Not that he was overly confident now, but he was allowing himself to get his hopes up just a little bit.

Lucy took all of it in, not knowing that part of the story. "Loke… I was just joking, I forgave you for that. Though now I feel bad knowing the whole story. Why didn't you tell me before?"

Loke smiled as he shook his head. "Princess, I wasn't sure how you would take any of that. I didn't want you to just brush it off as me being a flirt, I wanted you to know I was serious. Actions speak louder than words. I just wanted to apologize in person and the chance to make it up to you." He kissed her forehead, wrapping his arm back around her, continuing their walk home.

Lucy snuggled closer under his arm, resuming the scanning of the sky. She paused on Leo's constellation, silently thanking the star Regulus for the perfect night.

Loke felt something that he had no explanation for. Over the years, he'd often get a feeling that someone was talking to him. Or about him. It came with different emotions. Sometimes he'd feel sadness, others he'd feel worry or hoping. Tonight was pure joy. He never understood this, but had come to accept it over the years. Looking at his princess, a thought came to mind.

"Luce, did you say something?" Loke asked her. They stopped just outside her door to her apartment.

"Hmm? No, I didn't say anything. If I did I was just thinking out loud." Lucy sighed. She didn't want the night to end, more importantly, she didn't want him to leave but she wasn't sure if he would stay. She timidly looked up at her lion. "I had a really good time tonight, thank you again for escorting me."

"Anytime Princess, I suppose I'll be going now you need some sleep." Loke smiled at her, pulling her into a hug. He had expected her to pull away, but she didn't. His mind started racing at the same speed his heart had started to beat. 'She hasn't left yet. Does she want me to stay? She hasn't pulled away. She's letting me hold her.' He tried very hard not to jump to conclusions.

"Loke, would you…. Want to stay? I mean it doesn't have to be over night, I know the effect being in earthland has on you, but maybe just a little while, we can climb on my roof and star gaze?" Lucy asked quietly against his shoulder.

"Princess, I'll stay as long as you want me here." His heart soared. He was absolutely giddy as she unlocked her door and followed her up the stairs.


	15. Stargazing

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not my complete original creations.

As they walked through the door Lucy tossed a book at him. She pointed to her couch. "Sit here for a second, I'm going to go change."

Loke laughed at the look she gave him "I'll go change too and I'll be right back here when you're done." He disappeared in his golden shower of light and reappeared mere seconds later in a pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt. He sat on his couch and let his thoughts wonder to what he was feeling just as he reached the door.

"Princess, what were you thinking earlier, when I thought you had said something." He asked, hoping she remembered. He walked around her small apartment.

"Uhm, well I had been just looking at all my spirits constellations and then I was just kind of thinking…" Lucy hesitated. "This is going to sound really weird but… when I was younger I always talked to the stars. Wished too, but I talked more… Mostly to Regulus…." Loke froze. He walked to her door and stood there silently.

"I can't remember why I had chosen that star, but it was usually the one I talked to or wished on….. so when tonight had went so wonderfully I was… kind of silently thanking for a perfect night. Why what did I say?" As Lucy opened her door, she found Loke sitting up against her door.

Loke was silent for a moment, thinking. "You didn't actually say anything. I've always gotten… a feeling that someone was talking to me, or about me, but I couldn't ever pinpoint where it came from. A lot of the time I was alone when it happened. I could always feel an emotion with it but I've never had an explanation, until now…. I think." He looked up to his Princess with a flirtatious grin.

He stood up quickly, grabbing her left hand. "I think it's just another sign from the starts that we're destined to be together my love."

Lucy giggled as she shook her head. She placed her other hand on top of his, looking him square in the eyes. She matched his flirtatious grin, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Usually I challenge this so called destiny, but why challenge it when its working in my favor." She took a step back and walked to her window in the living room, opening it wide. She leaned out and let the cool breeze blow across her face.

Loke had once again frozen in place, his heart and his thoughts racing. He didn't expect that response from her. He watched as she crossed the room, opening her window. She hadn't taken her hair down or removed the make up from her face yet. She'd changed into a pair of pink sleep shorts and a white tank top. She turned to face him again.

"I'll grab a few blankets, bring a few of the throw pillows off the couch." She giggled when Loke saluted her mimicking Sagittarius, 'Moshi Moshi.'

He grabbed the pillows and tossed the lightly out onto the roof, crawling out there. He arranged the pillows up against the wall, placing a few to sit on. He grabbed the blankets the blankets from Lucy and helped her out. They situated themselves on the pillows, covering up with pulling blankets around their shoulders. Lucy settled in against Loke, peeking her head up just enough for her eyes to see the sky. Loke wrapped his arms around her as he settled back against the pillows. She still smelled faintly of her perfume, as delicate as it was intoxicating. He drew circles on her back lightly with his finger tip, gazing up at the stars, remembering a time he did anything to get away from her. Now he'd do anything to be near her.

"What's your favorite constellation?" he asked her suddenly. He had asked her who her favorite spirit was, which had earned him a pillow to the face (a few times), but he had never asked about the constellations. He braced himself for impact anyway.

Lucy thought about it a minute, then waited a minute more, intentionally messing with the stellar spirit. Loke whined "Luceeee…" and she laughed.

"Honestly, I think Aquarius might be my favorite. It was the first one I ever learned. I guesssss Leo isn't bad. I don't know, maybe Canis Minor might beat it out for second favorite." She teased him.

"Princess, I'm hurt." Loke dramatically took his arms away from her and pretended to get up. Lucy laughed and pulled him back down into the pillows. He smiled as he resettled himself amongst the pillows and blankets, lightly kissing the top of her head and hugging her close. Lucy snuggled closer, her head resting on his shoulder. Loke opened his mouth to ask a question, almost without thinking. He caught himself, and kept silent.

Lucy looked up at him "What were you going to say?" she asked him.

'Of course that'd be the thing she wouldn't miss.' He thought sarcastically to himself. "Nothing of importance Princess." He smiled down at her as assuringly as he could. Hoping she wouldn't press. He should have known that his hope would have been in vain.

"Loke, you're a terrible liar." She sat up, regrettably pulling away from him and his body heat to look him full in the face.

He sighed, trying not to meet her eyes but failing miserably. "It's… nothing that can't wait for another night Princess. I would rather tonight end as perfect as it has been all night for you."

Lucy touched his face, forcing him to look at her. "Loke, I want you to tell me."

Again, Loke sighed. He was a complete push over when it came to her and anything she wanted. "It was more of a… a question… than a statement honestly." He took a breath, when she didn't respond, he let out a nervous laugh. "Honestly I thought I'd be so much smoother than this, but here I am a shaking feline, absolutely a nervous wreck."

Lucy smiled. "As if there's anything Leo the Lion is afraid of."

She hardly ever used his real name, it made his stomach flip. "Well I've found one thing, that's you. I've never had any trouble talking to a women until I met you." He looked down at their hands, briefly wondering when they had interlocked fingers, before continuing.

"The past few weeks have been amazing with you and it's only reinforced my resolve to protect you since you've saved me. It's also reaffirmed how I feel about you. You're not just my key holder, no one else can even hold a candle to you. You're the reason I exist, you are all that I care about. I didn't actually want to say anything tonight, I didn't want my time cut short with you. I just… wanted to ask if you'd give me a chance." Loke closed his eyes taking a deep breath before looking up into her chocolate colored eyes. Once again, knocked breathless when he saw the warm in her eyes and that gorgeous smile lighting up her face.

Lucy wasn't sure how she didn't fall off the roof in excitement to his confession. She did manage to keep still when she realized how nervous he actually was. His little ears that poked out from his hair twitched with nerves, along with his shaking hands. She had reached out to hold it, hoping it'd soothe him. When he looked up at her, her breath caught. His hazel eyes had always been warm, but tonight they were swimming with emotions.

She didn't verbally answer him. There weren't any real words to describe what she felt. She leaned forward, just so slightly, hoping he wasn't too shocked to realize what was happening. She kissed him softly, just barely brushing their lips together.

Loke's whole body felt like there was electricity running through it. He felt like his mind never stopped running in circles with her. She pulled back just a little, allowing him to collect his thoughts. He touched her cheek with one hand and pulled her in for another kiss with the other. He stopped thinking and just let himself feel. They rested their foreheads together, not wanting to move apart, blankets long forgotten, resting in folds around their waists.

Lucy smiled. "It's getting kind of late… would you want to stay the night?"

Loke simply nodded, and grabbed the pillows as he followed Lucy back through the window.


	16. Nightly Rituals

Author's Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. Some of the plots are from the anime and are not completely my original creations.

 _ ***I'm not sure whether or not to end it here. I have a few more ideas, a couple lemons I was contemplating on. Let me know what you think***_

Loke lounged across her bed, hands folded behind his head as he watched Lucy do her nightly rituals. She had just finished washing her face. She always looked pretty with make up on, but he wasn't sure why she thought that she needed it in the first place. She was naturally beautiful. He watched her as she pulled bobby pins from her hair like it was a magic trick. Curls fell about her face with every one that she removed. She didn't often wear her hair down, and she never wore it curled. She had finally turned to him, after what had seemed like 1000 bobby pins.

"You look really nice with your hair down and curled Luce." He smiled and as an afterthought he added "I didn't think that many bobby pins would be able to fit in one's hair. I felt like you were one of those magicians that keeps pulling the multicolored scarf out of their sleeve" He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him.

Lucy walked over to the lounging Lion spirit. She put her hands on her hips. "Beauty comes at a price. Everyone is so ridiculing of beauty practices, but they are the ones that set the standards." She turned on her heel, feigning offence.

Loke grabbed her hand, pulling her onto the bed with him. He started to tickle her, enjoying her squealing and squirming. It was a lot harder to avoid her flailing arms and legs than it was to avoid her well placed 'Lucy Kicks.' Lucy pleaded with him to stop, telling him that she forgave him. He relented and let her up, promptly being smacked in the face with a pillow. He chased a screaming Lucy into her bathroom. She managed to shut the door before he was able to follow.

"Lucy darling, you know a door wouldn't really stop me." Loke smiled slyly.

"Lokeeeeeeee… fine you win. Just… let me shower." Lucy pleaded.

Loke chuckled at her defeat. "Yes, Princess, I'll be here when you're done." Then he quickly added "You know, I'll come wash your back if you can't reach it." He knew he'd probably pay for that line.

"LOKE YOU HAD BEST STAY ON THAT SIDE OF THE BATHROOM DOOR THE ENTIRE TIME I AM IN HERE" Lucy didn't finish her empty threat. There was no need to. She knew he wouldn't come in.

Loke retreated to her bed, pulling back the covers and climbing in. He let his thoughts wander as they had so often lately. The ball seemed like it was years ago, not mere hours. More than anything, he thought of their kiss. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Their feelings for each other, if they hadn't been obvious already, were now crystal clear. But where did that leave them? That's what he didn't know. He wasn't sure how to ask either. To him, she deserved more of a title than 'girlfriend.' She was his. She belonged to him, forever. In whatever lifetime she was in, he would find her, love her till the end, and then find her again.

Lucy emerged from the bathroom, interrupting his thoughts. Scents of strawberries and vanilla swirled in the air around her. Her hair was damp, curling slightly around her face. She paused a second, looking at him, as if she had forgotten he was there. She blushed slightly before joining him and crawled in next to him. He pulled her in close, her head resting on his chest. He pressed his face into her hair, enjoying the scent of her shampoo. They laid there in silence. Loke was drawing circles slowly on her back, matching the pace with her tracing his chest. Before he realized what was happening, he started to purr.

"L...Loke" the blonde flushed, obviously trying to stifle her giggles. "Loke, you purr. Like an actual cat." She could hold back her laughter, and upon seeing his obvious embarrassment she tried to console him while still uncontrollably laughing. "Loke, oh don't be embarrassed. It's cute, really. I like it. And your ears, I like that you secretly like them scratched. Don't think I didn't notice on the way back from some missions when I'd pet your head, that you were blissfully happy when I scratched them."

"It's not… manly" He couldn't help but quote Elfman.

"It doesn't matter. It's not like you need to impress anyone, you already have the one that matters." Lucy looked up at her spirit, placing a kiss just under his jaw.

Loke couldn't help but smile like an idiot. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Lucy silently cheered in her head, reaching a hand up to run through his hair. She tried not to giggle when he angled his head so that she would scratch his ears. He closed his eyes and purred, knowing she'd get a kick out of it. As they laid there in their perfect little bubble, Loke's ear twitched. He listened intently, not hearing a word Lucy was saying. Before she was able to chide him for not listening, Loke ripped the covers off the bed and jumped with Lucy in his arms to the other side of the room, putting her behind him. The next second, the window slammed open.

"Regulus Raid…" Loke started with his attack. Lucy jumped in front of him.

"LOKE STOP." Lucy yelled, looking directly at him. There was no fear in her eyes, she knew he'd never hurt her. "It's just Natsu." She motioned to the pink haired man standing just opposite of them, fists in flames.

"Fight me Loke." Natsu said with his signature goofy grin, flying at him.

This time, Loke stepped in front of Lucy, simply grabbing Natsu's fist. "Not in Lucy's apartment." He flung him across the room. "What the hell are you sneaking into Lucy's apartment for at this hour of night?" Loke glared at the dragon slayer mage.

"I always come here at night and sneak into her bed. It's so comfy and she's usually cold." Natsu looked to Lucy, who was currently face palmed, blushing 3 shades of red.

Loke looked to Lucy, swiftly angered by the dragon slayers declaration. Lucy saw the look on his face and quickly amended. "Loke it's not like that, it's Natsu we're talking about. I always kick him out anyway." She walked over and put her arms around him, relieved that he relaxed a bit at her touch.

Natsu looked at the two of them, then asked "Why are you in Lucy's apartment at this hour, cat boy?"

Before anyone could respond, his blue companion flew through the window "He loooooooooovvvvveeeesss her." Happy said with a grin.

Natsu laughed. "Happy, this is Loke we are talking about." He looked back between the two of them.

"Lucy is MINE." He all but roared the declaration. "She is my Lioness."

Lucy couldn't help but smile. 'Lioness… hmm… I like it.' She thought to herself. She looked at Natsu's defeated face. "Natsu, what's wrong?"

Natsu felt like he had a hole punched through him. He didn't understand why. "So… you're… together then?"

Lucy nodded, still confused by Natsu. "Yeah, like Lisanna is with you." She hoped he understood.

Natsu thought a moment. "You're still my partner right?"

Lucy laughed. "Of course. Still best friends, just you can't sleep over anymore. I don't think Lisanna would like that anyhow."

For the next 10 minutes Loke had to explain why it was inappropriate for him to share a bed with anyone besides Lisanna. His argument to everything was "But Lucy's bed is comfortable. And she smells good." Thankfully, he seemed to understand.

She kicked him and Happy out for what she hoped would be the last time. They finally crawled back into bed together, laughing at the situation. Loke adjusted himself so that he could look at her.

"I was thinking earlier, that I wasn't really sure where we stood. I didn't really think 'girlfriend' suited you because you're so much more." He looked at her briefly, touching the tip of her nose. "Thanks to Natsu, I now have something." He paused, looking her the eyes. "Lucy, you're my lioness."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Lucy wasn't going to argue it. She smiled. "I'm your lioness."

Loke didn't realize he had been holding his breath. After she had said it, he was elated. He leaned down to kiss her, enjoying the electricity that flowed through him. He pulled back, rubbing her face with his thumb, just staring into her chocolate colored eyes. He leaned down and kissed her a second time. Then a third.

Lucy had never felt more loved.


	17. Author's Note

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for reading! This seemed like a natural end to this story. I already have a thought for a sequel that happens later. I can't write much now, between business trips and taking care of my 10 month old puppy who broke his leg jumping off the couch, I don't have the time to dedicate to writing. The earliest I could start writing is maybe a month, but will probably be closer to 8 weeks. If you have any requests, I keep a notebook that I drabble in to keep my thoughts in, I'll be more than happy to write once I'm back at it. A special thanks to sassykitten101 for the love 3


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